Bungie "saddened" by Halo 2 multiplay demise

Bungie's issued a statement on the closing of Xbox Live for original Xbox games, saying it's "saddened" by the loss.

"Halo 2 fans take note - you have ten weeks left to play multiplayer games over Xbox Live before the service will be discontinued."

The firm added:

"We're all saddened at the realization that an era is coming to an end but looking back, we're incredibly fortunate to have had such a great run and such strong support from our fans. Halo 2 has been at or near the top of the Xbox Live charts for original games since it launched over five years ago."

Microsoft said yesterday that Live would be switched off for all original Xbox games on April 15.

Live servers for any Xbox titles released via the Xbox Originals service for 360 are to also be closed.